his wife erica his children and grandchildren and that he received total consciousness. i turn you over to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." wolf? jake, thank you. happening you now, no bluff. without a signed security deal, all u.s. troops may soon leave his country. hillary clinton doesn't matter when it comes to biden's decision on running for president 2016. and i'll have a special one-on-one interview with marco rubio. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." no deal, no troops. that was the blunt message from president obama to hamid karzai today. president obama made it clear to

karzai that without a signed security agreement between the two countries, there's a good chance that no u.s. troops will remain in afghanistan after this year's withdrawal. he said to plan accordingly for the so-called zero option. jim sciutto and barbara starr are here with the significant statement from the white house. >> the blunt message is, enough is enough. to underline it, it comes directly for the first time from the president of the united states. the administration is saying that time is running out to adequately plan to keep forces in afghanistan beyond 2014. they told the pentagon to begin planning for a complete withdrawal. a deal is still possible with a new afghan leader. remember, elections to succeed karzai begins in april even if karzai refuses to sign before them. however, the administration

making clear that some damage is already done. here's jay carney today. >> the longer we go without a bsa, and we've been making this clear, the more challenging it will be to plan and execute any u.s. mission. furthermore, the longer we go without a bsa, the more likely it will be that any post 2014 u.s. mission will be smaller in scale and ambition. >> that's interesting because that has already prompted some quick reaction. >> no question. when you look at this, no one has more to lose than the pakistanis, except the afghans themselves. i spoke to a senior pakistani official today and he put it in extremely devastating terms saying that if u.s. forces leave entirely, it would be, in his words, a holocaust inside afghanistan. he went on to say that zero option, zero as in u.s. troops should not be an option. it would be a tragedy not only for the u.s. but for the world

at large. one key reason, in it this official's view, is that afghan forces are not ready to act on their own without u.s. leadership. he predicts that 30% will dessert after a u.s. withdrawal due to tribal conditions and, remember, pakistan in the midst of its own brutal wave of violence by the pakistani taliban. they know what chaos looks like on the ground. this is a devastating prediction. >> that's a really disturbing development potentially. let's go to barbara starr at the pentagon. is the president making it clear the longer they wait, the longer the u.s. presence will be. so what size are we talking about? >> well, wolf, the general thinking around the pentagon is something like 10,000 u.s. forces. plus, some nato forces if the afghans wait too long, they are leakly to disappear in the midst and the u.s. force is smaller.

if they leave a smaller force th than 10,000, they will not be able to train, assist the forces and the u.s. troops are still trying to keep an eye on the taliban and al qaeda and be a base of operations from which to launch drones into pakistan, possibly, to go after al qaeda and taliban on that side of the border. all of that could go away. if they come down really dramatically below that 10,000, what forces are telling us, a couple of u.s. troops are staying much as they do at the u.s. embassy in baghdad and iraq. nobody thinks that is going to be very valuable. but look, if this agreement isn't signed and it isn't signed in time, there may be no choice. wolf? >> jim, there's no guarantee that whoever is elected in those elections in afghanistan will go ahead and sign that bilateral

security agreement. >> abdullah has said that he will sign an greem agreement. if there's one thing we've learned, there is no guarantee but he's giving positive indications. >> the outrageous thing is that 13 years after the u.s. has developed and trained with nato, the afghan troops are apparently not ready to do the job by themselves. >> no question. this idea of a mass desertion, that would be a real problem on the ground there. >> yeah. i suspect that will probably happen whenever the u.s. eventually leaves but that's another matter. barbara starr and jim sciutto, thank you very much. there's new word that the obama administration may have had a devastating way to even the odds out there on the battlefield without firing a shot. brian todd has been looking too this story for us. what are you finding out? >> a new report says the obama team has plans drawn up for a

cyberattack on the syrian military. this could have possibly saved civilian lives in syria. bashar al assad continues to launch barrel bomb attacks against its own people, des mating neighborhoods and killing scores of people. there's been a battle plan to stop those attacks without a single american casualty. "the new york times" reports in the spring of 2011, they drew up a plan for sicyberattack. >> certainly the military's ability to lost airplanes. >> navigational systems could have been hit in a cyberstrike. short-term, one official said, it would, quote, turn the lights out for assad. but according to "the times," it

hasn't happened. after seeing various cyber strike plans, president obama turned it down. not enough strategic value. the biggest risk, retaliation by the allies. >> the iranians could retaliate against the united states and the russians may actually do something that we wouldn't want them to do. >> a hacking group allied with bashar al assad's regime has disrupted cnn's social media accounts and caused an outage at "the new york times" the argument for launching a cyberstrike on syria -- >> you no longer have to drop physical bombs and kill people. it can be targeted, nonlethal, microforce. >> but fallout from the reported

2010 computer attack on israel and iran's nuclear program may have played a role in not to attack syria. >> i'm betting president obama feels pretty burned, which i'm sure he thought would stay secret by his cyberwarriors and, unfortunately, it did not stay secret. >> a spokeswoman told us from the white house that she would for the get into the details of the interagency deliberations but cyber tools are at their disposal. >> the syrians have been at the receiving end of these attacks over the years. >> that's right. in september 2011, israeli struck a nuclear attack and that was accompanied by a brilliant cyberattack that blinded syria's air defenses so when the military discovered that something was amiss, that reactor was a burning hole in the ground. so this has been launched before with syria and with some

success, it could happen. >> obviously a sensitive story. brian, thanks very much. up next, the attorney general eric holder takes on same-sex marriage bans across the country and enkourcourages counterparts in the states to do the same thing. you may have seen the paintings by the former president turned artist george w. bush. he's about to take the wraps off over paintings. we have details. when jake and i first set out on our own, we ate anything. but in time you realize the better you eat, the better you feel. these days we both eat smarter. and i give jake purina cat chow naturals. made with real chicken and salmon, it's high in protein like a cat's natural diet. and no added artificial flavors. we've come a long way.

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and their families is without equal. attorney general eric holder

is taking on same-sex marriage bans again. he's also advising his colleagues to hold legislation based on sexuality to a higher level of scrutiny. >> i believe that we must be suspicious of legal classifications based solely on sexual orientation. >> this is just the latest in what has been a string of bold moves on a number of critical issues. let's discuss what is going on with jeffrey toobin, the author of the book "the oath, the obama white house and the supreme court." how unusual is it, jeffrey, for an attorney general of the united states to tell the states attorney generals what they need to do? >> well, it's not unprecedented but it's certainly unusual and it's in keeping with the way that holder has been acting over the past six months or so. president obama said he wants his administration to take action with or without congress and what you see holder doing in

area after area is just that. now, in some of these areas he can't force these attorneys general to defend same-sex marriage but he can urge them and that's what he is doing. he's quite -- he's been quite clear that he thinks that gay rights are the civil rights struggle of today and, you know, he comes out of the civil rights movement -- i just wrote a new yorker article about him. you know, all over his office are totems from the civil rights movement, robert f. kennedy's portraits from the '60s. he clearly thinks that gay rights are the cause of today. and also, traditional civil rights, he is going to -- he has sued north carolina and texas to try to undue their changes that make voting harder there. so, you know, he is pushing the

envelope much more than he did in president obama's first term to leave a legacy on sif rights and guy rights but it's not all up to him. the courts and other politicians have to agree with him, so it's a big qualification. >> it certainly is. so where do you see all of this going? will these states attorney general go ahead and, in effect, disregard the law of their respective states if they feel it's discriminatory? >> well, the attorney general of virginia just did it, which was a pretty significant move and we know that the court -- the federal district court in virginia struck down the ban on same-sex marriage. my guess is that the democratic attorney generals will take this as a green light, as permission to do what the attorney general in virginia did. i can't see eric holder persuading one republican attorney general to make that change but it's a political act

and eric holder is a political appointee and he's using the powers of persuasion and some will be persuaded and some won't. >> jeffrey toobin, thank you. some other stories that we're following, the federal government is fine asiana airlines is million for failing to publicize a toll-free number for the family of the passengers and failed to notify relatives in a timely manner, both required by law. a mysterious polio-like illness is affecting children out in california. they are suffering a sudden onset of paralysis in an arm or leg even though she was protected against polio. they are monitoring it. and it's the auto industry's top honor. consumer reports say the top rated car for 2014 is the all

electric tesla model s. there are blistering acceleration, razor-sharp handling and a compliant ride but it comes with a hefty price tag. it goes for about $90,000. a horrible scene caught on photo. a family is taking a group photo and the deck they are standing on suddenly collapses. it sent all 24 people plunging to the concrete below. this was at a christmas party in new albany, indiana. now there is a lawsuit against the company that owns the clubhouse. we've seen his works before, including a portrait of his dog and one of jay leno that he presented to the former tonight show host last september. the upcoming exhibit at the presidential library in dallas will feature more than two dozen

works never before made public. coming up, bill clinton makes his debut on the to 14 campaign trail. can he help an old friend unseat a majority leader. and whether hillary clinton will impact joe biden's decision as he weighs a white house run. >> hello, everybody.

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happening now, clinton campaign, bill clinton, that is, out there on the campaign trail. can he boost the democrat throwing the senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell. media offensive. joe biden takes to the airwaves. and a candid interview. marco rubio speaking bluntly with me about a controversial set of issues. among them, i'll ask him if he wants to be president of the united states. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." the former bill clinton is out

there on the campaign trail with questions swirling about hillary clinton and a potential presidential run in 2016. but today the spotlight is on winning a key senate seat for democrats in a state where clinton is not very popular. let's go to erin mcpike with details. she's in louisville. erin? >> reporter: this is the marquis senate race. mitch mcconnell is running for a third decade. he's pretty unpopular and running against a popular democratic woman, alison lundergan grimes, who is half his age and giving him a run for his money. >> i love kentucky. you've voted for me twice. you've been great to hillary. i love kentucky. >> reporter: the former president is making his to 14 trail debut here in louisville

to help, who else, an old friend, alison lundergan grimes, daughter of jerry lundergan. >> it makes a big difference who wins this election and alison lundergan grimes should win it and will with your help. >> reporter: she's the secretary of state who's practiced law and done plenty of politicking with her father. >> the clintons didn't forget kentucky. >> reporter: jerry lundegran did two chairs as the democratic chair. the family business catered clinton inaugural events and chelsea's wedding in to so. now clinton is returning favors to the next in line. grimes is just 35 and playing up that she'd be the state's first woman in the u.s. senate. >> you will hear over the course of this campaign, especially on behalf of the women of this

state, 53% of the electorate, a little katy perry "roar" and miley cyrus "wrecking ball." >> as we continue our fight to ditch mitch. >> reporter: mcconnell has spent three decades in the senate and as minority leader is the last line of defense against president obama. grimes is hitting mcconnell hard for washington gridlock, charging that as a republican leader, he's responsible for washington's dysfunction. >> alison's opponent has been short of billionaire. get all of this money from all of these guys that don't really want anything to change and haven't noticed that adjusted for inflation, median family income in kentucky is lower today than when i left office. >> reporter: beating him would be a coo for democrats. >> both he and hillary clinton

came to town in 2008, including the day before the election, and i won by 100,000 votes. i welcome bill clinton to kentucky. every time he comes it's been good for me. >> reporter: it's much more in demand this year than the 44th. who some see as political kryptonite. i spoke to mitch mcconnell's adviser earlier today and he said that in response to grimes' charges of gridlock, they are going to make the case that kentucky appreciates so much issues like cap and trade but that mcconnell has brokered some major broker deals. we'll hear a lot about that this summer. wolf? >> erin mcpike, thank you very much. if hillary clinton decides to run for president, she could be going head-to-head with another democrat, joe biden. he's hitting the media circuit and he's not shying away from questions about 2016. let's bring in our senior

political correspondent brianna keilar with this part of the story. what's going on? >> it's pretty fascinating. he's in this unique position of being a sitting vice president, second term sitting vice president who is far off of the lead in the polls as a 2016 contender but today vice president biden insisted that hillary clinton's political or presidential aspirations, i should say, won't determine whether he runs. vice president joe biden keeping himself in the mix with the teasing reference to to 16 on late night. >> i was planning on making a major announcement tonight and i decided that that tonight is your night. i hope you'll invite me back. >> reporter: and telling the ladies of "the view," he has not said no to a run for president. >> i truly haven't made up my mind. >> reporter: he says hillary clinton's design on the presidency will not affect hiss.

>> whether she runs or not will not affect my decision. >> reporter: even so, sources close to biden tells cnn he would weigh his chances of success and right now clinton leads every poll of likely democratic presidential candidates, putting hopefuls like biden in a tricky spot. >> if you're an ambitious democrat, you want to run. you want hillary clinton to make her mind up as soon as possible. >> reporter: clinton has said she will do that by the end of the year. those sources tell cnn that's not hard and fast. biden will announce his plans later, in the summer of 20 15. >> you are attached to the president, whether you want to be or not. all of his approval ratings come right with you. >> reporter: which is why democrats are trying to hold on to the senate in a pivotal midterm year.

>> the truth is that no matter how old we get, we still listen to our moms. so moms have great influence. call your sons and daughters. tell them, sign up. it's for them and it's for your mom's peace of mind. >> and for vice president biden's political aspirations, it's so important for president obama to succeed. he saw that today. and he also said, wolf, to the women on "the view," everything he can do to be a viable candidate is the same exact thing he should be doing to be the best vice president that he can be. >> after eight years as vice president, i'm sure he would like to be president. brianna, thanks very much. let's go now to our chief political analyst gloria borger and dana bash. what do you make by these moves of biden. he's on "the view," he's on seth

meyers. >> i think he's looking for a little biden buzz. we talk about hillary clinton nonstop. we've been talking about other democrats who might be interested, like elizabeth warren. and i think joe biden's feeling a little left out of it sew wanted to leave the door very much ajar, saying it doesn't matter what hillary clinton does. personally, i think it does matter what hillary clinton does. >> yeah. >> right? >> when i heard him say that, it doesn't necessarily matter if hillary clinton runs or not, i e-mailed somebody that knows him and said, really? and they said, what did you expect him to say. >> republicans keep saying she's vulnerable so we'll see what he decides. we'll see what she decides, too. >> that's the key. >> i still don't think he would take on hillary clinton. i think he understands the power of the fact that she would be the first woman president if she won and i don't think he would necessarily stand in the way. >> it's interesting to see what you call biden buzz out there.

because remember, a couple years ago he was the man. he was the man in congress, up on capitol hill, getting things done and then he went completely silent. not -- maybe it wasn't his choice. he was put in a box, quiet for a little while. >> harry reid. >> and others and now he's back. he seems to be having fun and i think he enjoys being out there and being on late-night shows, not being the butt of late-night shows. >> what do you think of bill clinton going to campaign for the candidate in kentucky challenging mitch mcconnell? i suspect we're not going to see barack obama campaigning for her in kentucky. bill clinton did in owe '92 and '96. >> dana did more reporting on this. it's a liability for many of them. who can step into the breach but bill clinton? very popular in the south. over 60% nationally.

so he is going to be the chief surrogate, the most in demand for any democratic candidate. >> you don't think alison lundergan grimes is going to invite president obama to kentucky? >> i don't see that happening. what i do think is fascinating, i learned a little nugget today. democratic strategists have tested this specifically in battleground states, not just kentucky but other states to see how popular all potential surrogates are and by far over 6 60%. even more than the popular governors and current. and that really does speak to why they had him down there. he helps not just with the base but with more broadly and, of course, he helps her raise money. >> it doesn't hurt hillary

clinton to have her husband out there collecting all of these -- >> there's a democratic governor elected statewide. >> democrats could win. it's interesting, obamacare has had some success in the state of kentucky, which she can talk about. >> what about this -- you caught up with jan brewer, the governor of arizona. we suspect she's going to veto that legislation that was passed in arizona that would discriminate and affect gays in arizona. jeff flake and john mccain want her to veto that legislation. you expect her to veto it, i assume? >> all signs are pointing to her vetoing the bill. she was here in washington and hadn't officially seen the bill. she needs to at least go through the motions, if nothing else, of deliberating back in the state of reading the bill. but absolutely. and so much of this fight is, of course, about social issues,

about discrimination and whether it's discrimination or not and it's pretty clear her bottom line is money in arizona and the fact that she feels that she's built up the economy in arizona. she is very reluctant to do anything that could cause boycotts, not just for businesses now but for the super bowl at the beginning of next year. i think it's going to be the bottom line, not necessarily how she feels when if comes to social justice. that will push her decision. >> you know, mitt romney just tweeted that she ought to veto this legislation. and there have been -- you know, john mccain has weighed in, senator flake has weighed in both of arizona has weighed in saying that she should veto this legislation. other states are being looking at it. some have backed off of this and others are waiting to see what happens in the state of arizona. but what it does is it exposes the tension in the republican party because social conservatives versus those who

are not as socially conservative and want to broaden the republican party and i think this could be one of those issues. >> there's a rift in the gop. >> there's a huge rift. i think this controversy really speaks to it, which is, people in washington don't get that the real difference isn't always between democrats and republicans, it's the grassroots versus the establishment. and this is a different kind of grassroots than, say, the tea party but it's a grassroots movement within the republican party that many establishment republicans are freaked out about and they are trying to push jan brewer to veto it. >> there are a lot of libertarian republicans as well. >> exactly. >> thanks very much, gloria, dana, good work. up next, fresh controversy around the first lady's let's move campaign. details of the up roar of proposed new rules. plus, my special one-on-one

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police fell to their knees to apologize for cracking down on the protesters in ukraine. protesters placed police snipers led to a political upheaval. cnn has obtained new video of the clashes showing the disproportionate fire power of the security services.

our senior international correspondent nick paton walsh reports from kiev. >> reporter: welcome to the police side of the lines in the brutality of thursday in kiev. gunshots but none that we could hear on this edited footage coming at the police. one even taking a selfie. the crew who filmed these pictures and gave them to us edited asked, what are they shooting at you with? they are shooting, in other words, with real bullets. to see what it was like on the protesters' side when nearly 100 died. there was once a violent scene and now there's a memorial to those who died. now ousted president viktor yanukovych is facing criminal charges. the exact details of how they came to be killed are more important than ever. the new government has accused viktor yanukovych of mass

murder, of giving the orders to these well-trained men. they didn't lack protection or sniper rifles or shotguns at the front line. even heavy ammunition at hand. this is what they did with it. pointing out targets. i see him at the window, too, the voice shouts in russian. the men in camouflage carry sniper rifles and one moves in. medical professionals told cnn many protesters died from professional gunshot wounds. they take no shortage of precautions, even though the threats seem slight and their equipment massively superior. unaware their actions would unseat a president just days later. nick paton walsh, cnn, kiev. >> just ahead, the first lady and the united states michelle

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a big day for the first lady of the united states, michelle obama marking the fourth anniversary of her signature let's move campaign. the first lady has been teaming up with celebrities to help promote her cause, including the actress amy poehler.

she just met with her a little while ago and here's some video we just got. >> this is so fun. mrs. obama is standing next to me like she's my audience and i'm just telling her jokes. this is like a dream. except for the box, which is a little embarrassing, isn't it? i have to stand on that. i'm a grown woman standing on a box. >> there's the box. let's bring in our senior washington correspondent joe johns. he's very tall. he doesn't have to stand on any boxes. tell us what is going on? >> wolf, the good news is that obesity between the children of ages 2 and 5 decreased dramatically but so far no real change in the overall population. this comes at a time when the first lady has programmed to improve the eating habits of children and celebrating the fourth anniversary. >> keep up with the first lady!

>> reporter: since the first lady launched the let's move campaign four years ago to get people to eat better and exercise more. >> water just surpassed soda as the most commonly consumed beverage in area. yay for water. >> reporter: and for the most part, she's kept the campaign fun and lighthearted, even with the help of big hollywood stars, like this focus group video featuring will ferrell. >> can you tell us some of your favorite fruits and vegetables? >> strawberries. >> cabbage? >> also, diet cola, is that a vegetable? >> there is some evidence childhood obesity is dropping though centers for disease control aren't ready to say it is because of mrs. obama's program. >> we know there have been a number of things going in the

right direction. there is increased attention to improving childhood nutrition, increasing breast feeding rates. >> let's move still has its critics like today when the administration announced proposed rules to stop marketing products in schools that the government says are not good for you. >> we will be eliminating advertisements for unhealthy food and beverages in our school. >> which could mean a change to the school sports score boards that pop up where full calorie drinks aren't allowed administration says should not be advertised at school either. >> if you can't sell it you ought not be able to market it. >> i think it is so much arrogance involved. it is no longer father or mother knows best, it is what government knows best. that is really the problem here.

>> in answer to the nanny state question the administration says it distinguishes between adults and children and the let's move program defers to local officials but the government does have an obligation to ensure the foods and drinks served in schools are healthy. coming up the battle lines are drawn in venezuela. we will take you right to the barricades. and a situation room special report as we begin to hear from the possible 2016 presidential contenders. i'll go one-on-one with marco rubio of florida. that's coming up right at the top of the hour. no matter how busy your morning you can always do something better for yourself. and better is so easy with benefiber. fiber that's taste-free, grit-free and dissolves completely. so you can feel free to add it to anything. and feel better about doing it. better it with benefiber. my dad has aor afib.brillation, he has the most common kind...

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in just a few minutes you will see and hear my special interview with republican senator marco rubio. here is the latest in venezuela.

united states ordered the expulsion of three diplomats from washington. and response by venezuela, the latest ripple effect. >> reporter: these protests have been going on for three weeks now and all the time the opposition trying to shift tactics to force its challenge to the socialist president. and we have seen this week the start of a new tactic throwing up barricades. wealthy and middle classes are joining this street fight. >> more wreckage to fortify opposition antigovernment activists responding to the twitter hash

tag, day of the barricades. i don't want to wait in food lines. i don't want to be did napped, i'm a hostage in my own home she says. scores of picket lines sprang up. the opposition seems to be beefing up its bid to topple venezuela's socialist government. things are falling apart and we have to save the country. we have to get on the street because it is the only way, she says. but it is not only the middle class that is up in arms. >> this is a working class and should be a natural support base. the people here say they are fed up and turning against the president and joining the opposition. >> we'll be ehere until he

leaves power, she says. but across on the city's poorer west side there are few signs government loyalists are desserti desserting. pro-regime motorcycle clubs the latest to show public support. the president insists the opposition is trying to stage a u.s.-funded coup attempt. the right wing extremists are being marginalized in venezuela. not all opposition protesters agree on the changing tactics especially since the barricades are in the opposition's own neighborhoods. this is one of the most controversial tactics. they strung it across the road and will pull it tight. they aim to bring down what they say are government thugs riding motorcycles aiming to terrorize

the neighborhood. home made tire shredders, too. the pro-government loyalists are armed and we aren't so we are shielding behind barricades and wait for them to arrive, he says. as the day wore on there was no word of serious clashes but the battle lines have been drawn. happening now a situation room special report. the 2016 contenders. in the spot light senator marco rubio. rubio is fired up about ending blood shed in venezuela, cuba and around the world and firing back of strongman who accused rubio of being crazy. tough words from president obama on immigration. and his answer to the question

about 2016. >> do you want to be president of the united states? >> i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." we expect this to be the first in a series of one-on-one interviews with possible presidential contenders. it is still early in the game. they are busy weighing options and testing possible campaign themes. senator marco rubio has been making news with his passion on the efforts in venezuela. >> senator, thanks very much for joining us. let's talk about venezuela. you know the president of venezuela had sharp words for you and called you, and i'm translating from spanish, the craziest of the crazy because of

your views of what is going on in venezuela right now. what should the u.s. be doing. >> this individual said chavez after his death appeared to him in the form of a bird. all i do is point to the human rights abuses on the streets. there are documented evidence of troops shooting and killed student protesters. this began as a student protest because the government wasn't doing enough to go after rapists and sexual assault victims on campus. the government cracked down on students and this spiralled them to broader discontent. >> what should the u.s. do if anything? >> we should be involved. right now i heard the state department said they are concerned. they shouldn't be concerned, they should be outraged by it. they should be getting the same level of attention as egypt and

ukraine. this is actually closer to us. the second is and i think we have documented instances. we should put together a package of sanctions against these individuals. and beyond that i would say we should study whether we are in a stage to explore specific sanctions against this venezuelan government. maybe a moratorium on private investment. there has to be consequences for what is going on here. we need to lead through our example. >> is there a connection between what is happening in venezuela and cuba? >> the connection is the cubans get free and cheap oil from the venezuelans. their interest is keeping the regime in place. the cubans have been deeply involved in the government apparatus for many years going back to chavez. one of the chants is we don't want to become cuba. cuba is clearly involved in assisting with personnel and training and equipment to carry

out the repressive activities including the ability to shut down twitter and social media. i think it is a broughter part of the agenda. we saw a u.n. report found cuba helped korea. >> you tweeted on february 23 havana's puppet can attack me but the world sees what he is doing. >> he is a puppett of castro as chavez was. and i think within venezuela and the government and the population it's created a tremendous amount of resentment. >> you see targeted sanctions as one option. any indication the administration is ready to do that? >> there is no indication the administration is thinking about venezuela. that is unfortunate. i think this is part of a broader issue with foreign policy in this administration. they largely view these things as challenges to be manages

rather than causes to be advanced. the interest of the administration seems to be stability at all costs as opposed to furthering national interests. >> be specific. if you had your way, if you were secretary of state or president of the united states what would you do? >> many of the officials have assets in the united states. the venezuelan government has operations in the united states. those should be targeted and closed down and those individuals need to be sanctioned. >> ukraine, russia, you are on the foreign relations committee. are you satisfied with the way the administration is handling the unrest right now? >> i think it remains to be seen. i think the important thing is what happens moving forward. i think the ukraine people took things upon themselves. we have seen horrible crimes committed against people in the streets. these former leaders of the ukraine will have to face consequences. as far as moving forward i think

now is when the administration needs to step up. we need to help galvinize the european union to provide assistance so that what is in place is a peaceful transition to a stable government that does not continue to feel cross pressure between joining the russian effort and/or becoming part of europe and the free world. they are stable from imf funds or a combination to ensure there is a period of transition that is stable and sustainable. >> do you trust putin? >> no. of course not. i think vladimir putin's goals are to re-establish russia as a world power and recapture what he feels they lost after the fall to the soviet union. his efforts to thwart us whether in syria or iran or venezuela. russian made jets are flying to try to intimidate the

population. anything bad for the united states is bad for them. >> was mitt romney right when he said russia was america's number one geopolitical foe? >> i think he is right in that russia is an emerging foe. that is a change in direction from what you found in russia 20 years ago. that has grown as putin came into power and re-emerged again. >> the administration makes the point the u.s. needs to work with russia not only in areas like ukraine but syria, iran, elsewhere. russia has significant influence. >> we need to work with russia if russia is willing to work in a cooperative fashion. we have now tried to work with russia through the reset that the administration put in place. what has it led to? they have thwarted efforts to sanction syria. they are assad's most important supporter. >> did join u.n. over the

weekend. >> supported saying the u.n. that the aides need to be allowed to be delivered to the people. they haven't supported sanctions against the crimnality. they are supporting him and propping him up. they are capacitating him. >> you don't want troops to syria? >> i heard secretary rice make the argument that people that want to put boots on the ground. who is that? who has called for american troops in syria? i haven't heard a single policy maker say that. i don't understand how she can say that on the air and not be challenged. i have never heard anyone argue for american troops on the ground in syria. what i have heard especially early on in this conflict is let's equip the syrian rebels, the nonislamists because if we don't you will leave a vacuum. >> what about the deal with iran. six months they supposedly freeze their nuclear program,

u.s. eases up together with ally some sanctions hoping there can be a real deal to eliminate iran's nuclear weapons capability. are you with the president? >> i am not. i would love nothing more to wake up to the news that the supreme leader of iran decided to ban nuclear issues. for them other than pride and influence a nuclear weapons capability they prove as ultimate insurance policy. they believe it provides them immunity. >> president says if you pass legislation in the senate he will veto it. >> i'm sure he will and i hope we have enough votes to overturn that. what we are seeing already exports of iranian gas and trade and commerce has sky rocketed. the horse is out of the barn on this. you are not able to put this back together. >> he says and the secretary of state says if they cheat the u.s. can turn on the sanctions within a day. >> what kind of deal are they

looking to make? they will not assure us it will not involve enrichmentment capability. they are a nuclear power whenever they want to be. that is their strategy. this is what north korea did. this is a time tested model. what you do is use sanctions and negotiations to buy time. you retain the enrichment capability. when you decide a few years from now when the world is distracted and something else is going on to move forward and develop a weapon you can and will. >> still ahead much more of my interview with senator marco rubio. does he think he can beat hillary clinton if they both ran for president of the united states.

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we're back with our special report, the 2016 contenders. my one-on-one interview with senator marco rubio. as a florida republican of cuban heritage he has a special interest in immigration reform. i asked him about that and another pressing domestic policy issue right now. >>. >> raising the minimum wage, the president would like to see it $10.10. you with him? >> i don't think it is an adequate policy. i understand it polls well. we understand it will destroy jobs. i think a better approach is what i proposed and that is a wage enhancement that we would convert the using earned income tax credit into wage enhancement

available to low income workers. instead of one time a year it would be added directly to their paycheck on biweekly basis. i think that is a better approach. another better approach is allowing people to acquire the skills they need for middle income jobs and incentivising growth we need to create the jobs. >> got it through the senate. pathway to citizenship. is it going to happen? >> i don't know it is going to happen this year or not. it is a difficult issue. >> do you still support that? >> i don't think -- we have 12 million people in this country that are here illegally. some because they committed crimes or haven't been here long enough are not able to stay. the others if they can meet certain conditions and there is going to have to be consequences and long wait time. i don't think it is good for america to have millions of

people here illegally permanently who can never become americans. i think that has to be part of a total solution. that is not the big debate anymore. i think the big debate is how we do this. do we do it in one big piece of comprehensive legislation. at this point in time -- it has always been hard to pass policy. the fact of the matter is the last two or three big comprehensive pieces of legislation that passed into law proved disastrous, dodd-frank or obamacare or what have you. i think a better approach is to begin to address the issue individually and begin irking on things there is agreement and consensus on and use that to build momentum to finish the job. >> there was an article in the new york magazine who wrote this about you. i'll read a sentence or two. compromising on immigration means handing a legislative accomplishment to obama, a taboo

that dwarves any idea logical commitments. so rubio was cast in a role nobody could play. >> i live in a community surrounded by immigrants. i see the good, bad and ugly of immigration. i know people who have become citizens and watch them weep at ceremo ceremonies. i see people here illegally to violate our laws. i see people here illegally because children are desperate and hungry and will do anything it takes to make children better off. what enlisted me to do something about it is not just that part about it, but the fact that we have a broken legal system. we have a defacto amnesty. here is the predicament. it requires the government to enforce the law so that we don't have this problem again. because this president decided which parts of the laws he is going to enforce and which parts he will ignore he has made it

difficult not just on immigration but anything that requires force that the federal government will enforce the law. the single biggest impediment is not republicans. it's barack obama. it is spending the last couple of years ignoring the law including his own signature law where he applies the parts ehe wants and ignores the parts he doesn't like. >> i will press rubio about his own presidential ambitions. if jeb bush runs for white house will rubio stay out of the race. and how marco rubio stacks up against the likely democratic front runner. (vo) you are a business pro.

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the republican marco rubio has been a rising star in the national political stage since 2010. is the race for the white house next? here is the final part of our one-on-one interview. >> do you want to be president of the united states? >> not today. wolf, i don't know. i have to make that decision next year. it is certainly something we will think about and talk about with our family. i can tell you i think america is at another cross roads with another american century. i think it presents extraordinary opportunities for our people. it requires us to make changes. if i feel i can make a difference from that office to lead us in that direction that is something i would have to

strongly consider but probably won't happen until later this year. >> sounds like a yes to me. >> i don't know. i certainly feel compelled to continue to do something to help this country make the right choice in the cross roads we are in. we will examine whether that is the right way to do it. >> jeb bush said the same thing yesterday, said the end of the year. here is the question and then i will let you go. if he runs will you run? >> i haven't thought about it that way. i think if you are going to run it should have nothing else with who else is on the race. i have tremendous admiration. we are personal friends. i think he would be a very formidable candidate and i know he is being encouraged to consider it. i have my own calculation with decisions i want to make with my own life. it sounds like we have the same

time schedule. i haven't given thought as to how it would play out. >> finally, if you run, could you beat clinthillary clinton? >> i think she will be asked to account for her time. much of the foreign policies that we see in place today began when she ran the department of state. i think she will have to answer for benghazi. here is a fact. the state department knew the risk level for that facility was extremely high. they should have closed that facility or provided adequate security. they did not under her watch. she will have to answer for that. we have to turn the page on the 20th century and move to the 21st. what ideas does she have to position for 21st century leadership? in a new economy and new world that changed so dramatically. the democratic party all of the policies they continue to spew

out are old school big government policies that have never worked and do nothing to position us for success. >> the answer is you think you could beat her. >> i think a handful of people could beat her. she is formidable because she is experienced as a campaigner and may raise a lot of money. at the end of the day she will have a lot to answer for and i think the american people are ready to turn the page and move forward to doing the things we need to do to have another american century. >> thanks very much. >> thank you. you heard me say it to senator rubio. it sounds to me like he is running for president of the united states. i was impressed with his knowledge on a variety of domestic and international issues from minimum wage to immigration reform to syria and iran. he offered some of his own ideas. rubio clearly has given a lot of thought to the politics of 2016. he says a decision on running won't depend on whether or not

jeb bush does run. you heard the early hints of a strategy for running against hillary clinton. if rubio gets in the race he would likely have an edge with two critical groups, first latinos. he gave a separate interview in spanish. and second, he would also have a certain edge with voters in his home state of florida. the mother of all of those presidential battle grounds, florida. president obama carried that state twice. as we dive deeper and deeper into the 2016 campaign we are going to invite all of the major presidential contenders, the possible contenders out there to join us for an in-depth interview in the weeks and months ahead. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. "cross fire" starts right now. tonight on